Savour the tasty heart of Spain

Arguably known as the best country in the world for food many consider Spain as a kind of heaven for the palate. Explore this culinary country with S.Pellegrino's Itineraries of Taste.

In the past ten years Barcelona has become one of the best food cities in the world. The warm, welcoming Catalonian capital is an epicurean paradise of field-fresh fruits and vegetables, farmhouse cheeses and artisan sausages; not to mention the divine olive oil and wide selection of boutique wines. Catalonia has ten wine regions, much of it organic, with an emerging trend for natural methods.

Madrid is by no means the poor cousin with many terrazas (rooftop cafés) that are perfect places to relax, have a drink and rest between the perusing the city's many local shopping spots.

Both cities will seduce you with their rich cultural and art hertiage, their open market culture and innovative approach to food at all levels, from Michelin starred restaurans to pop-up supper clubs and uber cool food trucks.

Spain is also a cured meat lover's paradise and all visitors must try the iconic Jamon Iberico de bellota (Iberian acorn ham). The finest cured legs of these black Iberian pigs can sell for more than £45 per kilo (that’s hundreds of pounds per leg), and they come from free-range pigs that roam the oak forests eating nothing but acorns.

In addition to its cured meats and hams, Spain benefits from being practically surrounded by water. The country has a very strong tradition of fishing and offers in many restaurants a multitude of fresh juicy seafood, of which squid is perhaps the most versatile. It crops up everywhere, either alone or alongside other fish or even meat in dishes as varied as paella and hearty stews: a feast for the palate.

Salvador Dali’s heritage

Perhaps Spain's most famous artist is symbolic of the country's fascinating culture. Salvador Dalí’s artworks merge the sacred and the erotic, the mystical and the gastronomic in an ecstatic flow of images and ideas, often with esoteric meanings that were often comprehensible only to the Spanish surrealist himself.